Pinterest & Instagram: A Crash Course
If Thunder Elite All-Stars coach Cher Fuller has her phone out while her Junior Level 3’s are running a routine, it’s not because she’s texting. She’s boosting the gym’s brand—and bonding with her athletes—by snapping a quick picture or video of their progress to share on Instagram. When she’s not coaching, Fuller works at an ad agency, and she understands how social media can help a business grow. By now, many cheer gyms now have active Facebook and Twitter accounts and know the benefits of connecting with athletes, parents and potential customers on those platforms—but Instagram and Pinterest can develop that connection even further.
“From a business perspective, Instagram is probably a little more lucrative as far as a marketing tool, but Pinterest can be great for building community,” says Kate Boyd, a cheer coach, choreographer and corporate communications expert. Intrigued? We asked Boyd, Fuller and other experts for their tips on how to pump up your gym’s online presence with these powerful tools.
Instagram: Snap a pic that offers a peek inside your gym.
Got a smartphone? Get Instagram. It’s a quick, easy and free way to get your message across. Once you install the app, all you have to do is take a picture, add a short caption and upload it. (FYI: Instagram is primarily for use on mobile devices. You can view photos on a computer, but you won’t have access to your full account.)
Boyd recommends using Instagram to offer a glimpse behind the scenes. “If you’re mixing your own music, take a picture of your computer. If you do your own choreography, take a picture of yourself in the mirror dancing. It gives the people looking at your account a sneak peek at what’s going on,” shares Boyd. Posting fun, candid photos on your Instagram feed will also give followers a strong sense of your gym’s culture. “Everyone wants to win and everyone wants to work hard, but the values embedded in your programs are either a good fit for a family or they’re not,” adds Fuller.
Once you get the hang of it, you can also start employing “hashtags” to get your photos maximum exposure. Adding a simple hashtag like #cheerleading or #Worlds to your post can attract hundreds of eyes to your page and help propel your gym’s name into the social stratosphere.
Pinterest: Pin your way to community connections.
Setting up a Pinterest account can help strengthen your gym’s relationships with athletes and their parents. Pinterest offers community boards where different people can contribute images; Boyd recommends using these to gather T-shirt and bow ideas, as well as a way to solicit suggestions from parents when your gym is planning an event.
If you want your account to attract people to your gym, Boyd suggests creating and pinning your own content as well. She says that the platform can be a good forum for “educating parents regarding behavior, nutrition and sportsmanship. You’re showing parents that you have their cheerleader’s best interest at heart.” A few great examples: the Pinterest pages for North Canton, OH-based NEO All-Stars (which has more than 25 boards on topics like “Conditioning,” “Muscle-Building Smoothies,” “Cheer Moms,” “Cheerleading Worlds,” and “Travel Ideas”) and Marietta, GA-based Legends Elite All-Star Cheerleading (which has boards on topics like “The Summit,” “Cheer Bows,” and “Legends Elite”).
If you’re new to Pinterest, Fuller advises planning ahead. “Sit down with your coaches and your owners and figure out what exactly it is that you’re trying to accomplish. If you want to talk about different stunts that are out there, different bows, different outfits or different teams that you idolize, bucket those into different categories, so it’s not just a chaotic mess.” Creating a Pinterest board for each category (ala NEO All-Stars or Legends Elite) will help keep your account organized as you add more and more pins in the future.
Getting Started
Before you set up a profile, think about how you want to brand your gym. “What kind of message are you trying to get across? What kind of picture are you trying to paint?” asks Sarah Gosnell, owner of Legends Elite All-Star Cheerleading, who keeps those questions in mind as she manages the gym’s Pinterest page.
When you first set up a new account, don’t rush into promoting it. Fuller recommends posting at least 10 pictures before you share the link publicly, so that you aren’t directing people to an empty page. “The best way to populate an account is when you don’t have followers. Get a few pictures up there, so that when you start driving traffic to your account, you actually have something to keep people there. It gives them a reason to come back,” she suggests.
As you build your account, always keep your gym’s goals and desired image in mind. Gosnell advises, “Be sure that whatever you’re putting out there, you’d be okay with your competitors seeing and kids who cheer for a rival gym seeing.” Once it’s set up and you’re ready to spread the word, share the link on your official website and on your Facebook or Twitter pages. If your gym’s athletes, parents and coaches are using Instagram or Pinterest, follow them and encourage them to tag you in posts. And, finally, don’t feel pressured to set up more accounts than you can handle—choose what feels right for your gym and master that platform. As Fuller points out, “There are a lot of great social platforms out there, but if you try to get onto all of them, you’re [likely] to neglect something. Pick what you’re interested in, and focus on those.”
-Lisa Beebe